The present invention relates generally to a combination stop and seal member for doors. More particularly, the present invention relates to a combination stop and seal member that operates to position and provide a weather seal for a garage door or the like. More specifically, the present invention relates to a combination stop and seal member that may be attached to the frame of a sectional overhead door or the like to laterally position the door in the closed position and provide a weather seal between the door and the frame.
The interrelation between a sectional garage door and the requisite door frame on the building is a matter that has received some attention over the years. As a basic parameter, sectional doors are normally of approximately the same outside dimensions as the two vertical frame members and the one horizontal frame member define the door opening. Since there is a lack of significant overlap between the door and the frame and since the door must be mounted to assure free vertical movement between the closed position and the open position, a significant gap or opening is intentionally provided between the door in the closed position and the frame members, which must be sufficient to accommodate variations in the frame members and their location and in the panels of the doors themselves.
In modern day sectional door installations, it is desirable that the gap between the door and the surrounding frame be controlled in two respects. First, a door stop is required to control the extent of the gap, such that the door is restrained from outward movement when in the closed position. The use of such a door stop, coupled with the engagement of the rollers with the roller tracks, laterally restrains the sectional door when it is in the closed position to prevent lateral movement and attendant rattling when the door is subjected to internal or external pressure variations, such as those caused by variable wind-loading. Second, a weather seal is desirable to seal the gap between the door frame of the building and the ends and top of the door when the door is in the closed position. Employing such a weather seal is particularly significant in colder climates for insulation purposes. A weather seal to prevent airflow around a door is of some significance in temperature control even in warmer climates and also serves the purpose of preventing dirt and debris from entering the building in the area around the periphery of a sectional door.
In the past, door stops have been made of wood, plastics, and other rigid and semi-rigid materials or combinations thereof. Door stops are normally positioned to tightly engage the door in the fully closed position and move progressively into engagement slightly before reaching the closed position and progressively out of engagement during the initial movement from the closed to the open position. Depending upon the materials employed, the rubbing action between a door stop and the door may erode the door stop and/or leave marks or indentations on the outer surface of the door. In addition, some door stop materials may swell or expand due to environmental conditions and/or aging and may eventually cause jamming or binding of the door during operation to the detriment of both the door stop and the door surface. Some door constructions employ metal end stiles, which, in some instances, have a return leg that extends commonly one-half to three-quarters of an inch onto the face of the door from the door edge, which is the area of the door face that contacts the door stop. Thus, the metal end stile protrudes from the face of the door at least the thickness of the material employed and can have burrs or other irregularities, particularly at the edges of the end stile. These burrs or edges can present sharp surfaces that may damage the door stop if areas are engaged too tightly against the door or if the door stop expands or swells. A further source of problems in employing door stops is that the sections of a sectional door may displace slightly outwardly in traversing the transitional radius of the roller tracks between the vertical and the horizontal positions, thereby causing the end stile to gouge or otherwise damage the door stop in that area.
Weather seals are made from a wide variety of flexible materials and are, in many instances, simply a flap attached in some manner to or proximate the door stop and extending toward and into contact with the outer surface of the sectional door when the door approaches or is in the closed position. Problems frequently encountered with weather seals are that the flexible material will sometimes catch on an end stile or other defect on a sectional door and pull the weather seal off its mounting, which may result in the weather seal being deflected and subsequently jammed between the door stop and the door. In some instances, weather seals are designed to snap onto the door stop or be retained in a groove formed in the door stop. The formation of such lips or grooves in a door stop to retain a door seal are normally costly because of close tolerances required to properly retain the weather seal. Further, even minimal damage to the lip or groove of the door stop results in the weather seal no longer being properly retained or not being appropriately positioned, such as to lose effectiveness as a weather seal element.
More recently, designs have been introduced for combination door stop and weather seal members using manufacturing methods that integrate the rigid and flexible materials together to produce an integral component. In some instances, these combined door stop and weather seal members have employed the weather seal as both the door stop member and the weather seal member. Such designs have not, however, proven to be satisfactory, in that the flexible members employed to position the door tend to wear or erode much more quickly than a rigid member, such that it loses its sealing ability in a relatively short time period. In addition, in operating as a stop, the flexible seal tends to take a set or permanent deflection over a period of time, such that it no longer is operative to satisfactorily function as a stop in positioning a door.
In other instances, the combination door stop and weather seal members employ a portion to act as the door stop and a projecting flexible material that operates as the weather seal. When a flexible weather seal is displaced outwardly of the stop surface, a longer extent of flexible material is required, which facilitates sealing irregularities between a door and the frame; however, such a flexible seal is more susceptible to damage. Such damage can take place in the operation of the door or during shipping. In particular, a rigid stop material can be slightly deformed without permanent disfigurement; however, the more flexible seal members, particularly when configured of longer lengths, can more easily be permanently deformed, such as to provide, at best, intermittent rather than continuous sealing characteristics around the periphery of a door.
Another consideration with door stops and weather seals and combination units is that the materials are subject to linear expansion and contraction with temperature changes. This expansion and contraction is a function of the mass of the cross section of the component parts. Thus, the larger the cross section of a member, the greater will be the expansion or contraction with changes in temperatures. Such expansion and contraction can affect the fit with the door frame and the door and can cause the components to sag and buckle, particularly in the instance of the flexible seal. Further, flexible sealing members with greater cross sections have more of a tendency to sag during installation, making them more difficult to install properly and necessitate more fasteners to achieve more precise positioning throughout the length of the seals, if a long-lasting, effective seal is to be achieved. While various prior-art door stop and weather seal constructions have addressed various of the issues hereinabove referenced, all have experienced some deficiencies, such that no single device has achieved a position of superiority in the industry.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a combination door stop and weather seal that provides for low-friction door stop operation and an efficient, flexible seal in an integral structure. Another object of the present invention is to provide such a combination door stop and weather seal wherein both the door stop element and the flexible seal are angled inwardly of the ends of the sections of the sectional overhead door, such that both elements contact the surface of the door inwardly of an end stile on the door so as to preclude engagement therewith. Still another object of the present invention is to provide such a combined door stop and weather seal that is capable of achieving efficient operation over a relatively long life.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a combined door stop and weather seal wherein an effective seal can be achieved while using a shorter flexible seal element due to its angularity and positioning in relation to the outer surface of a sectional door. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a combination door stop and weather seal wherein a substantial portion of the gap between the door frame and the door is bridged by a rigid member to thereby permit utilization of a shorter flexible seal. Still another object of the invention is to provide such a combination door stop and weather seal that is capable of nesting for reducing the size of shipping packages and that can be stacked, bundled, packaged, and shipped without deformation or damage to the flexible seal in normal handling conditions.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a combination door stop and weather seal that provides an effective seal while employing substantially less material than most prior-art devices. A further object of the present invention is to provide such a combination door stop and seal that is manufactured without the use of cellular materials, which require slower production rates and raise more complex quality-control issues. Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide such a combination door stop and weather seal that has reduced expansion and contraction when exposed to the elements due to the elimination of areas of significant cross-sectional thickness or mass. Still a further object of the present invention is to provide such a door stop and weather seal that is adaptable to gaps of differing locations and extents, with a single size and geometric configuration. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a combination door stop and weather seal that is cost-competitive with existing devices employed in the industry and that facilitates both easy installation due to lighter weight and precise positioning due to the stop element positively engaging the door.
In general, the present invention contemplates a combination stop and seal member for a door operatively movable between an open position and a closed position in relation to a door frame including, a base for attaching the member to the door frame, a projecting arm extending from the base toward the door in angular relation thereto, a stop block at a distal end of the projecting arm for engaging the door when the door is in the closed position, and a flexible member extending from the projecting arm at a location adjacent to the stop block to sealingly engage the door when the door is in the closed position.